Apparatus for recovering waste air from an air lift pump



Jan. 28, 1930. c. E. DENTON 1,745,085

APPARATUS FOR RECOVERINQ WASTE AIR FROM AN AIR LIFT PUMP Filed July 24, 1925 INVENTOR 4m e 6%? MW,

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. BENTON, OF SHELBY, MISSISSIPPI APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING WASTE AIR FROM AN AIR LIFT PUMP Application filed July 24,

My invention is an apparatus for recovering air from the mixture of air and water which is discharged from an air lift pump, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is the provision of an air recovery apparatus which is adapted forattachment to the discharge outlet of an air liftpump and which affords facilities for separating the air from a mixture of a1r and water which passes through the discharge outlet of the pump so that the recovered air will be available for use as a pressure fluid in any suitable manner and the operation of the air lift pump will not be detrimentally af fected.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an air recovery apparatus of the character described which is simple in construction, reliable in use, not likely to get out of order easily and thoroughly practlcal commercially.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view showing the 1mproved air recovery apparatus applied to the discharge outlet of an air lift pump,

Figure 2 is a view of the structure exhibited in Figure 1, a separator tank which is comprised therein being shown in vertical section and the remaining elements of the structure being shown in side elevation,

Figure 3 is a relatively enlarged horizontal section through the outlet for the discharge of water from the separator tank and through the valve construction for controllin such discharge, a float for actuating the valve being indicated by dash lines,

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sect-ion taken through the discharge valve.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the numeral l designates the upper end portion of the usual pump tubing or rising main of an air lift pump. It will-be understood that the tubing 1 depends in the bore of the well from which water or other liquid is to be forced. A pipe 2 for compressed air or other 1925. Serial No. 45,885.

suitable pressure fluid leads from an air compressor or other source of air supply and depends within the pump tubing 1 toward the lower end of the latter, as is usual in an air lift pump. The upper end portion of the pump tubing 1 is provided with a lateral discharge outlet, such as indicated at 3.

The parts which have been described so far are ordinary in construction and form no part of the invention except in so far as they cooperate with the apparatus which Will now be described.

Such apparatus comprises a separator tank 4. which is closed to the atmosphere. The tank a is formed with a lateral inlet opening 5 which preferably is located slightly nearer to the bottom of the tank 4 than to the upper end thereof although at a considerable distance above the bottom of the tank and above the level of a lateral outlet opening 6 which is formed in the tank body close to the bottom of the latter and preferably at the side of the tank opposite that which is provided with the inlet opening 5. A pipe 7 has one end portion thereof secured in the inlet opening 5 and the other end portion thereof secured in the discharge orifice 3, whereby flow from the pump tubing 1 will be through the pipe 7 into the tank 4;. The hereinbefore mentioned outlet opening 6 is for water or other liquid and the tank 4 also is provided with a lateral outlet opening, indicated at 8, which is located close to the level of the upper end of the tank 1 and is for air or other gaseous fluid. A plurality of vertically spaced overlapping horizontal baffles 9 are supported in the tank 4: between the level of the inlet opening 5 and the air outlet opening 8 and are relatively arranged in the tank so that any fluid passing within the tank from the inlet opening 5 t0 the outlet opening 8 must move in a direction which extends transversely of the tank for part of the dis tance of travel of said fluid from the inlet opening 5 to the air outlet opening 8. A delivery conduit 10 for liquid has a portion thereof extending through the outlet opening 6. This portion of the delivery conduit 10 preferably has a substantially air-tight fit with the wall of the opening 6 although 100 a stuffing box 11 may encircle said portion of the deliver conduit 10 and be attached to a tubular oss 12 which is formed on the tank 4 at the outer end of the opening 6, thus assuring a liquid and air tight joint between the delivery conduit 10 and the tank 4. An end portion 13 of the delivery conduit 10 thus will be received within the tank 4 and this end portion 13 may be closed at its inner end by an end wall 14 which carries an axial stem extension 15. The end portion 13 of the delivery conduit is formed with a lateral slot 16 which preferably is inclined sli htly from one end thereof to its opposite on as will be understood from the showing in F i ures 2 and 3. A sleeve valve 17 is rotata ly supported on the end portion 13 of'the delivery conduit 10 and has a lateral slot or port 18 adapted to register with the lateral slot or port 16 when the sleeve valve 17 has been rotated about the axis of the end portion 13 of the delivery conduit to a certain position on the latter. The sleeve valve may be retained against axial movement on the inner end portion 13 of the delivery conduit in any suitable manner, as by having a reduced tubular portion 19 rotatably supported on the shaft 15 and retained on the latter by a nut 20 which is carried by the extreme end portion of the shaft 15. A

" rocker arm 21 is connected with the sleeve valve 17 in any suitable manner, as by having a hub portion 22 secured on a reduced portion 19 which extends at the inner end of the sleeve valve, whereby operation of the rocker arm 21 in a vertical plane will cause rotation of the sleeve valve to and from position to permit fiow of liquid from the tank 4 through the ports 18 and 16 into the delivery conduit 10.

An arm 23 is secured at its lower end to the outer end of the arm 21 and may have limited swinging movement about the axis of its connection, as at 24, with the arm 21. The arm 23 carries a float 25 which may be pivotall attached to the upper end of the arm 23. he arrangement is such that the slot or port 18 in the sleeve valve 17 will be in complete register with the slot or port 16 in the inner end portion of the delivery conduit 10 when the arm 21 is horizontal in the tank 4 and the arm 23 is vertical, the level of 1i uid within the tank 4 then being considerab y above the highest point of the slot 18 in the sleeve valve 17. The downward movement of the float 25 in the tank as the level of liquid within the tank is lowered will cause such rotation of the sleeve valve as is required to move the slot 18 completely out of register with the slot or portion 16 before the level of liquid within the tank has fallen to the level of the highest part of the slot or port 18 in the sleeve valve.

An air delivery conduit 26 extends through the opening 8 into the upper part of the tank 4 and has a fluid tight fit with the wall of the opening. An air relief valve 27 is provided in the air delivery conduit 26 and may be of any suitable known type of construction.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The liquid from the well with the pressure fluid mixed therewith will pass through the pipe 7 into the tank 4. The float controlled sleeve valve will continuously maintain a desirable level of liquid within the tank 4 so that the mixture which enters the tank 4 cannot pass directly from the pipe 7 through the outlet for liquid in the lower part of the tank and therefore the air or other pressure fluid which is comprised in the mixture will rise within the tank to the upper part of the latter while the liquid will remain in the lower part of the tank and liquid will pass continuously from the lower part of the body of liquid within the tank through the delivery conduit 10 to any desirable place so long as the level of liquid within the tank has not fallen to an undesirable extent. Therefore, air or other pressure fluid cannot escape with the liquid through the delivery conduit 10. In this connection, it will be observed that liquid passes from the tank 10 into the inner end portion 13 of the delivery conduit 10 through a lateral port, thus obviating any whirling or circular motion of liquid within the tank and precluding the formation of any cavity within the body of liquid in the tank through which air or other pressure fluid might pass into the conduit 10.

The baffles 9 will prevent splashing of the liquid in the tank to position whence said liquid might pass with the air or other pressure fluid through the delivery conduit 26.

The tank 4 is supported at a desirable height above the discharge end portion, as at 28, of the delivery conduit 10 so that the liquid which is discharged from the delivery conduit 10 will be under a desirable pressure when the flow from the tank 4 is mainly by gravity. A platform indicated at 29 may be employed to support the tank 4 in an elevated position for the purpose just described. The delivery conduit 10 may discharge liquid at any desirable place, as for example, to the condenser of an ice making apparatus. Also, the pressure fluid from the upper part of the tank 4 may pass through the delivery conduit 26 to any desirable place. In the event that the liquid which passes from the tank 4 through the delivery conduit 10 is water and the pressure fluid which has been recovered in the manner just described is air, such pressure fluid is well adapted for use in agitating water in the manufacture of so-called raw water ice since the recovered air is relatively cool and has been freed from oil, dust and like impurities during its passage through the pump tubing and through the water which is discharged from the well tubing. The relief valve 27 will prevent the building up of undue pressure in the tank 4 should the flow of pressure fluid through the conduit 26 be obstructed for any reason or cause while the air lift pump with which the apparatus is associated is in operation.

It will be manifest that an economy in the use of pressure fluid to produce power is ef fected since the pressure fluid which is used to force liquid from a well is recovered and is applied to other use.

I claim 1- 1. In an apparatus for recovering pressure fluid from a mixture of pressure fluid and liquid, a tank for the reception of commingled liquid and pressure fluid, a liquid outlet delivery pipe extending into the lower part of the tank, the extending inner end portion of said liquid outlet pipe being closed and having a lateral port, said lateral port being continuously inclined slightly from one end toward its opposite end, a sleeve valve rotatably supported on the extending inner end portion of said liquid delivery pipe and having an inclined lateral port adapted to register with the lateral port in the associated delivery pipe when said sleeve valve is in a certain position on said delivery pipe, a float adapted to rise and fall with the level of liquid Within the tank, and link motion transmitting means associated with said float with said sleeve valve, whereby vertical movement of said float will cause turning of said sleeve valve on the inner end portion of said delivery pipe to cover and uncover the lateral port therein.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted for the reception of connningled liquid and pressure fluid, a horizontal liquid outlet delivery pipe extending into the lower part of said tank, said liquid delivery pipe being provided with a closed end wall at its inner end, an axial stein extension projecting from said end wall, said liquid delivery pipe having a continuously inclined lateral port within said tank, a sleeve valve rotatably mounted on the inner end portion of said liquid delivery pipe and having a reduced end sleeve extension rotatably mounted on said stein extension of said liquid delivery pipe, a nut threadedly engaged with said stem extension for cooperating with the adjacent end wall of said liquid delivery pipe to prevent axial movement of said sleeve valve, said sleeve valve having a continuously inclined lateral port adapted to register with the port in the liquid delivery pipe when said sleeve valve is in a certain position on said liquid delivery pipe, and means responsive to the rise and fall of liquid within said tank for turning said sleeve valve on said liquid delivery pipe to cover and uncover the lateral port therein.

CHARLES E. DENTON. 

